Rip Ride Rockit vs Time Machine | Roller Coaster Showdown

Who Wins in a Battle of the Rocking-est Roller Coasters?Roller coasters have been incorporating music and on-board speakers for some time now. But two roller coasters that opened this year have taken the riding and rocking theme to new heights.

The Time Machine (formerly Led Zeppelin – The Ride) was revamped by the new owners of Freestyle Music Park. The B&M looping roller coaster features six loops, a top speed of 65 mph, and it’s partially built over water. The new owners took a ride with one track; Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”, and tricked out the theme with snippets of over 50 tracks from five decades. Riders will board a train with music from either the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, or 00’s every time they ride. The decade is chosen randomly and the snippets kind of narrarate your 3,700 foot journey.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is Universal Studios Orlandos much-hyped Maurer Sohne coaster aimed at being “the world’s most exciting non-inverting roller coaster”. The layout features several first of their kind elements including the highlight: a huge non-inverting loop. On Rip Ride Rockit, guests can choose their track from five genres. There are 30 tracks from Classic Rock/Metal, Rap/Hip Hop, Club/Electronica, Pop/Disco, and Country. Note: There are also a ton of hidden tracks, but for this showdown I’d like to exclude them as the average park-goer wouldn’t know they existed.

80’sGirls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
Thriller – Michael Jackson
Mickey – Toni Basil
We Built This City – Starship
Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins
Here I Go Again – Whitesnake
Material Girl – Madonna
Whip It – Devo
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It – R.E.M

I have to give credit to Freestyle. After losing the Hard Rock licensing and Led Zeppelin theming, they really turned lemons to lemonade and made the best of the situation. The decade-time machine theme works. I only wish riders could chose the decade that they were going to listen to while riding. You could ride several times and never get your favorite decade.

I do like Rip Ride Rockit’s ability for riders to be able to pick their tracks and as I mentioned, but initial reactions to Rip Ride Rockit’s song list were pretty mixed. See my “Song List”post. But, I’m curious to see how it fairs when it’s compared to another ride’s list. Music is always a pretty objective and polarizing topic. I’ll chime in with my official ‘take’ or opinion after I’ve heard from some commenters.

What’s Your Take?
Which roller coaster does the best job of incorporating music? Which track list do you prefer? Leave a comment below.